A Girl With a Sword

The St. Stephen's Day Murders

In honor of the much-overlooked St. Stephen's Day I'd like to share a song particularly dear to my heart.

Here they are, the somewhat unintelligible lyrics for that great family classic by The Chieftains and Elvis Costello, The St. Stephen's Day Murders:

And you have two sisters who's name it was Christmas, and one was named Dawn of course the other one was named Eve. I wonder if they grew up hating the season, the goodwill that lasts till the Feast of St. Stephen. For that is the time to eat, drink and be merry, till the beer is all spilled and the whisky has flowed, and the whole family tree you neglected to bury, are feeding their faces until they explode. They'll be laughter and tears over tea and the beers mixed up with that drink made from Gurdis, cause it's all we got left as they draw their last breath, and it's nice for the kids, as you finally get rid of them, in the St. Stephen's Day murders!

Uncle is gargling a heart breaking air, while the babe in his arms pulls out all that remains of his hair, and were not drunk enough yet to dare criticize the great big hippertie he's about to baptize. With his gin flavoured whispers and kisses of sherry his best kringeled shirt slung out over the shot while the lights from the Christmas tree blow up the tele, his face closes in like an old cold pork chop, and the carcass of the beast left over from the feast may still be found haunt in the kitchen, and their life in it yet we may live to regret when the ones that we poisoned stop twitching. They'll be laughter and tears over tea and the beers mixed up with that drink made from Gurdis, cause it's all we got left as they draw their last breath, and it's nice for the kids, as you finally get rid of them, RID OF THEM!, in the St. Stephen's Day murders!